Pennsylvania

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for planning and carrying out hate crimes against residents of the in-patient health care facility where he worked. The residents had a range of severe physical, intellectual, and emotional disabilities, and required assistance with daily activities.

The defendant and his coworker planned a series of assaults, including punching and kicking disabled residents and rubbing hand sanitizer and mouth wash in their eyes. In one instance, the defendant admitted to jumping on top of a 13-year-old minor while the child was lying on his bed with the lights off, and his coworker recorded him. The co-defendants would send graphic text messages to each other, expressing hate toward the disabled residents, sharing photographs and videos of residents, writing about their abuse, and encouraging each other’s continued abuse of residents. They took advantage of their one-on-one access with the residents who could not defend themselves because of their disabilities.

The defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His co-defendant also pleaded guilty and was previously sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Sentencing: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employee-beaver-county-health-care-facility-sentenced-10-years-prison-following

Guilty Plea: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employee-beaver-county-health-care-facility-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crime

Indictment: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employees-beaver-county-health-care-facility-indicted-federal-hate-crime-charges

After two months of trial, a federal jury in Pittsburgh unanimously recommended that a Pennsylvania man be sentenced to death for killing 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, critically wounding seven others, including five responding police officers.

On October 27, 2018, the assailant entered the Tree of Life Synagogue during worship with multiple firearms and stated his desire to “kill Jews.” He shot and killed 11 congregants, injuring two other members of the congregation and five law enforcement officers. Evidence showed that the defendant meticulously planned his attack based on his violently antisemitic beliefs, reflected in dozens of online posts.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jury-recommends-sentence-death-pennsylvania-man-convicted-tree-life-synagogue-shooting

Additional Charges Filed: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/additional-charges-filed-tree-life-synagogue-shooting-0

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for committing federal hate crimes and related offenses involving numerous severely disabled victims at a healthcare facility.

Residents at the facility have a range of severe disabilities and many need help with daily activities, like bathing, using the bathroom, eating, and dressing.

According to the plea, the defendant and a co-defendant texted each other about their hatred of the facility’s residents. The men allegedly punched and kicked residents, jumped on them, and sprayed irritants in their eyes and mouths. The men shared pictures and videos of their attacks on residents and encouraged each other’s further abuse of residents. They may have avoided detection because the victims were non-verbal and unable to report the abuse.

The case against the co-defendant remains pending, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employee-beaver-county-health-care-facility-sentenced-17-years-prison-following

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employee-beaver-county-health-care-facility-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crime

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employees-beaver-county-health-care-facility-indicted-federal-hate-crime-charges

A Leighton man has been charged with transmitting threats across state lines to cause bodily injury to another person.

The defendant allegedly used fake names online to post hundreds of anti-Semitic, anti-black, and anti-Muslim messages, images, and videos. Several of these posts, like the one charged in the complaint, included threats to various religious and racial groups. Other posts expressed a desire to commit genocide and “hate crimes,” and called for or depicted images of the killing of Jewish people, black people, and Muslim people”. On March 13, 2019, the defendant allegedly posted a digitally-created image of his arm and hand aiming an AR-15 rifle at a congregation of praying Jewish men, gathered in what appears to be a synagogue.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 5 years of imprisonment for each violation, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/lehighton-man-charged-internet-threats